Brink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Individual Liberty, Free Markets, and Peacehttp://www.cato.org/
enamast@cato.org (Andrew Mast)webmaster@cato.org (Cato Webmaster)Tue, 23 Jun 2015 13:42:06 -0400Mon, 06 Jul 2015 15:39:30 -0400Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown cites Brink Lindsey's Trade Briefing "Job Losses and Trade: A Reality Check" on C-SPAN 2http://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/ohio-sen-sherrod-brown-cites-brink-lindseys-trade-briefing-job-losses
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/ohio-sen-sherrod-brown-cites-brink-lindseys-trade-briefing-job-lossesTue, 23 Jun 2015 13:40 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyLow-Hanging Fruit Guarded by Dragons: Reforming Regressive Regulation to Boost U.S. Economic Growthhttp://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/low-hanging-fruit-guarded-dragons-reforming-regressive-regulation-boost-us
<p>The U.S. economy is slowing down. Trends for all the major components of growth are now uniformly unfavorable: labor participation is falling, the pace of human capital accumulation is slackening, the rate of investment is in long-term decline, and growth in total factor productivity has been low for three of the four past decades. A sudden turnaround is always possible, but there are strong reasons for believing that U.S. economic growth in the coming years will fall well short of the long-term historical trend.</p>
<p>Progressives, conservatives, and libertarians have a strong common interest in reversing this growth slowdown. They may have different ideas about what to do with the extra money yielded by higher growth, but all sides have a stake in getting a chance to fight it out.</p>
<p>Agreement on ends, however, need not translate into agreement on means. Indeed, the U.S. political debate today is beset by intractable ideological conflicts over tax and budget policy, financial regulation, health care financing, and many other issues with a strong bearing on the climate for economic growth.</p>
<p>Despite today’s polarized political atmosphere, it is possible to construct an ambitious and highly promising agenda of pro-growth policy reform that can command support across the ideological spectrum. Such an agenda would focus on policies whose primary effect is to inflate the incomes and wealth of the rich, the powerful, and the well-established by shielding them from market competition. A convenient label for these policies is “regressive regulation”—regulatory barriers to entry and competition that work to redistribute income and wealth up the socioeconomic scale. This paper identifies four major examples of regressive regulation: excessive monopoly privileges granted under copyright and patent law; restrictions on high-skilled immigration; protection of incumbent service providers under occupational licensing; and artificial scarcity created by land-use regulation.</p>
<p>Although there are vigorous debates about proper policy in all of these areas, the contending sides are not divided along left-right or Republican-Democratic lines. And it’s not simply the case that one can find policy experts on both sides who favor reform. Rather, it’s very difficult to find disinterested experts anywhere on the political spectrum who support the status quo. Such support is largely confined to the well-organized lobbies that profit from the current rules.</p>
<p>Hence the title of this paper. For all who are interested in better long-term U.S. economic performance, rolling back regressive regulation is the low-hanging fruit. Reforming these policies is something we know will make a positive difference, and by “we” I mean the vast majority of disinterested experts. Unfortunately, though, this lowhanging fruit is guarded by “dragons”—the powerful interest groups that benefit from the status quo, all of which can be counted upon to defend their privileges tenaciously.</p>
<p>Although opposition to progress would be formidable, pursuing an agenda of curbing regressive regulation would open up a new front in the ongoing policy fight. Instead of another left-right conflict, the contest could be framed as a choice between the public interest and vested interests. With an unprecedented deterioration in the long-term growth outlook now looking likely, this novel approach is well worth trying.</p>
http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/low-hanging-fruit-guarded-dragons-reforming-regressive-regulation-boost-usMon, 22 Jun 2015 (All day)Brink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyBrink Lindsey on reversing the growth slowdownhttp://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-audio/brink-lindsey-reversing-growth-slowdown
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-audio/brink-lindsey-reversing-growth-slowdownMon, 01 Jun 2015 13:24 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyBrink Lindsey discusses the slow growth economy on The Bob Harden Showhttp://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-radio/brink-lindsey-discusses-slow-growth-economy-bob-harden-show
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-radio/brink-lindsey-discusses-slow-growth-economy-bob-harden-showMon, 23 Mar 2015 12:21 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyCato Institute Policy Forum and Luncheon 2015http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/cato-institute-policy-forum-luncheon-2015
<p>Please join us for an informative and entertaining policy luncheon and discussion with Alex Nowrasteh, Brink Lindsey, and Richard Rahn. This luncheon will feature presentations by Cato scholars Alex Nowrasteh, author of many studies on immigration policy, and Brink Lindsey, author of <em>Human Capitalism: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter — and More Unequal and The Age of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America’s Politics and Culture</em>.</p>
<p>The economic benefits of immigration reform are large, but increased enforcement mechanisms like E-Verify or a national identity card could erase most of those gains. Nowrasteh will explain how to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs of immigration reform and how to wall off the welfare state, especially in light of President Obama’s recent executive actions.</p>
<p>It’s been almost six years since the official end of the Great Recession, but U.S. economic growth has remained stubbornly sluggish. Fears are mounting that growth rates well below the long-term historical average may now be the “new normal.” Cato scholar Brink Lindsey argues that those fears are well-founded: absent major policy change, U.S. economic performance will likely remain disappointing for some time to come. Throughout the 20th century, rising labor force participation for women and rising skill levels for all workers helped to propel growth, but now those demographic trends have shifted with negative implications for growth. To revive long-term growth prospects, sweeping policy reforms are needed to spur American innovation and dynamism. Lindsey will outline a pro-growth policy agenda and assess the political prospects for positive change.</p>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr valign="top">
<td width="160">11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.</td>
<td width=""><strong>Registration and Reception</strong><br> </td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td bgcolor="">12:00 – 2:00 p.m.</td>
<td style="padding-bottom: 8px;" bgcolor=""><strong>Policy Forum and Luncheon</strong><br><br><strong>Welcoming Remarks</strong><br>Rodolfo Milani<br><br><strong>Can We Ever Reform Immigration?</strong><br><a href="http://www.cato.org/people/alex-nowrasteh">Alex Nowrasteh</a>, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute<br><br><strong>Reversing the Growth Slowdown</strong><br><a href="http://www.cato.org/people/brink-lindsey">Brink Lindsey</a>, Vice President for Research, Cato Institute<br><br>moderated by<br><a href="http://www.cato.org/people/richard-rahn">Richard Rahn</a><br>Senior Fellow, Cato Institute<br>
</td>
</tr>
</table>http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/cato-institute-policy-forum-luncheon-2015Mon, 16 Mar 2015 09:37 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Alex Nowrasteh, Brink Lindsey, Richard W. RahnHow Should Ridesharing Be Regulated?http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/how-should-ridesharing-be-regulated
<p>The rise of ridesharing in the U.S. and abroad has been accompanied by complaints and concerns related to the regulation of rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft. Reports of rideshare drivers assaulting passengers as well as worries about insurance coverage and vehicle inspections have all prompted discussion about the safety of ridesharing. In addition, market incumbents have complained that rideshare companies are unfairly flouting existing regulation. Please join us for a discussion on ridesharing and what regulatory framework should govern this new and controversial industry.</p>http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/how-should-ridesharing-be-regulatedTue, 10 Feb 2015 12:00 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Matthew Feeney, Brink LindseyThe Future of U.S. Economic Growth - Welcoming Remarks and Panel 1: Forecasting the Long-Term Growth Outlookhttp://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/future-us-economic-growth-welcoming-remarks-panel-1-forecasting-long-term-growth
<p>The Great Recession ended over five years ago, so why does the U.S. economy remain so sluggish? Fears are mounting that growth rates well below the long-term historical trend line may now be the “new normal.” Labor-force participation has been falling, while growth in labor skills has slowed considerably. Furthermore, the main engine of innovation—the “creative destruction” of entrepreneurial dynamism—appears to be sputtering, as the rates of both gross job creation and destruction and new firm formation have been declining steadily. Meanwhile, some experts even argue that the low-hanging fruit of major transformative breakthroughs has already been plucked and that, consequently, technological progress itself is winding down.</p>
<p>The purpose of this conference is to assess the long-term growth outlook of the U.S. economy and explore what policy changes might be needed to arrest and reverse the growth slowdown. We will bring together top economists and other experts for a full-day conference on these vital issues, with the first three sessions devoted to diagnosis of the key problems and the final two sessions focused on prescriptions for growth-enhancing policy reforms.</p>
<p>In conjunction with the conference, the Cato Institute is hosting <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">a special online forum on reviving economic growth</a>. We have reached out to leading economists and policy experts and challenged them to answer the following question: “If you could wave a magic wand and make one or two policy or institutional changes to brighten the U.S. economy’s long-term growth prospects, what would you change and why?” Their response essays will be made available <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">here</a> in the run-up to the conference.</p>
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/future-us-economic-growth-welcoming-remarks-panel-1-forecasting-long-term-growthThu, 04 Dec 2014 10:18 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink Lindsey, Dale Jorgenson, John Fernald, Martin BailyFinal Essays in Cato Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/final-essays-cato-growth-forum
<p>Here are the final five essays in the Cato Institute’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/end-corporate-debt-bias-expand-school-choice">Reihan Salam</a> wants to end the bias in favor of corporate debt – and expand school choice.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/growth-taxes">Peter Howitt</a> calls for flat taxes on consumption and wealth.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/raise-tuition-state-universities-boost-long-term-economic-growth">Ben Wildavsky</a> thinks we are subsidizing the wrong college students.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/home-healthcare-economics">Philip Auerswald</a> targets barriers to home healthcare delivery.</p>
<p>5. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/money-economic-growth-fed">George Selgin</a> explores alternatives to the monetary policy status quo.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/final-essays-cato-growth-forumWed, 03 Dec 2014 09:06 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyNew Essays in Cato Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/new-essays-cato-growth-forum
<p>Here are today’s new essays in the Cato Institute’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/land-use-restrictions-other-barriers-growth">Edward Glaeser</a> targets land use restrictions – and five other barriers to growth.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/reforming-regulation">Susan Dudley</a> wants to reform the regulatory process.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/fighting-crony-capitalist-alliance">James Pethokoukis</a> takes aim at the crony capitalist alliance.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/preparing-students-world-work">Andrew Kelly</a> calls for better integration of school and work.</p>
<p>5. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/steps-toward-good-economy">Bowman Cutter</a> looks for a path to the “good economy.”</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/new-essays-cato-growth-forumTue, 02 Dec 2014 09:24 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyCato's Online Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/catos-online-growth-forum
<p>Here are today’s new essays in the Cato Institute’s special <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/urban-agenda-economic-growth">Richard Florida</a> says that cities are our future.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/rolling-back-regulatory-complexity">Megan McArdle</a> takes aim at regulatory complexity.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/two-ideas-boost-long-term-growth">Dane Stangle</a>r wants more immigration and better teachers.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/expand-opportunity-boost-growth">Scott Winship</a> focuses on expanding opportunity for the disadvantaged.</p>
<p>5. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/hacking-regulatory-state">Michael Mandel</a> calls for hacking the regulatory state.</p>
<p>6. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/three-waves-magic-wand">Brad DeLong</a> waves his magic wand three times.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/catos-online-growth-forumMon, 01 Dec 2014 09:25 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyLatest Essays in Cato's Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/latest-essays-catos-growth-forum
<p>Today we add the following essays to Cato’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online growth forum</a>:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/tax-cuts-innovators-are-good-economic-investment">Enrico Moretti</a> wants to increase the R&D tax credit.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/more-better-foreign-direct-investment">Daniel Ikenson</a> calls for more foreign investment.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/more-bang-buck-surprisingly-cost-effective-way-boost-growth">Scott Sumner</a> argues for better monetary policy based on nominal GDP targeting.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/shoring-middle-class">Don Peck</a> worries about growing dysfunction in the middle class.</p>
<p>5. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/toward-faster-more-inclusive-growth">William Galston</a> offers a potpourri of proposals for faster, more inclusive growth.</p>
<p>6. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/entrepreneurship-key-growth">David Audretsch</a> highlights the central importance of entrepreneurship.</p>
<p>The remaining essays will posted next week.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/latest-essays-catos-growth-forumTue, 25 Nov 2014 09:09 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyToday in Cato's Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/today-catos-growth-forum-0
<p>There are five new essays today in the Cato Institute’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online growth forum</a>:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/how-land-use-restrictions-block-growth">Ryan Avent</a> argues against restrictive zoning.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/specter-secular-stagnation-appropriate-policy-responses">Jagadeesh Gokhale</a> makes the case for tax and entitlement reforms.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/getting-back-to-work">Michael Strain</a> wants to put America back to work.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/economic-growth-age-diminishing-labor">Karl Smith</a> thinks about how to counter slowing labor force growth.</p>
<p>5. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/decision-markets-meta-policy">Robin Hanson</a> calls for the meta-policy of decision markets.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/today-catos-growth-forum-0Mon, 24 Nov 2014 09:21 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyLatest Essays in Cato's Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/latest-essays-catos-online-growth-forum
<p>Cato’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth features the following new essays today:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/restrain-regressive-rent-seeking">Steven Teles</a> takes aim at regressive rent-seeking.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/boost-highly-skilled-immigration">Alex Nowrasteh</a> explains the benefits of high-skill immigration.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/reforming-taxation-corporate-income-improve-economic-performance">Eric Toder</a> argues for corporate tax reform.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/unleashing-innovation">Derek Khanna</a> wants to unleash entrepreneurs.</p>
<p> </p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/latest-essays-catos-online-growth-forumFri, 21 Nov 2014 09:07 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyToday in Cato's Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/today-catos-growth-forum
<p>Cato’s special <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth continues today with the following new essays:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/our-guild-ridden-labor-market">Morris Kleiner</a> makes the case against occupational licensing.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/forgetting-how-grow">Tim Kane</a> calls for more immigration.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/move-progressive-consumption-tax">Alan Viard</a> advocates moving to a progressive consumption tax.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/bigger-cleaner-more-efficient-carbon-corporate-tax-swap">Donald Marron</a> argues for a carbon-corporate tax swap.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/today-catos-growth-forumThu, 20 Nov 2014 09:06 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyIf Everything Is Getting Better, Why Do We Remain So Pessimistic?http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/everything-getting-better-why-do-we-remain-so-pessimistic
<p>Evidence from academic institutions and international organizations shows dramatic improvements in human well-being. These improvements are especially striking in the developing world. Unfortunately, there is often a wide gap between reality and public perceptions, including that of many policymakers, scholars in unrelated fields, and intelligent lay persons. To make matters worse, the media emphasizes bad news, while ignoring many positive long-term trends. Please join us for a discussion of psychological, physiological, cultural, and other social reasons for the persistence of pessimism in the age of growing abundance.</p>
<p><strong>Follow HumanProgress.org on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/humanprogress">@HumanProgress</a> and use <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HPpinker?f=realtime&src=hash">#HPpinker</a>.</strong></p>http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/everything-getting-better-why-do-we-remain-so-pessimisticWed, 19 Nov 2014 15:17 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink Lindsey, Marian L. Tupy, Steven PinkerNew in Cato's Online Growth Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/new-catos-online-growth-forum
<p>Here are the newest essays in the Cato Institute’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum on reviving growth</a>:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/taxes-patents-money-three-proposals">Ramesh Ponnuru</a> offers three ideas – on taxes, patents, and money.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/get-fiscal-house-order">William Gale</a> argues for getting our fiscal house in order.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/curtailing-subsidies-health-insurance">Jeff Miron</a> proposes cuts in health insurance subsidies.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/embracing-culture-permissionless-innovation">Adam Thierer</a> calls for a culture of permissionless innovation.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/new-catos-online-growth-forumWed, 19 Nov 2014 08:33 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyNew Essays in Cato Online Forum on Growthhttp://www.cato.org/blog/new-essays-cato-online-forum-growth
<p>Here are the latest entries in the Cato Institute’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth (see <a href="http://www.cato.org/blog/reviving-growth-cato-online-forum">here</a> for some more background about the forum):</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/primacy-foreign-policy">Tyler Cowen</a> contends that foreign policy can have a major impact on long-term growth.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/grow-our-economy-start-paid-leave">Heather Boushey</a> argues that a national program of paid family leave will boost labor supply and therefore growth.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/incentive-pay-congress">Eli Dourado</a> proposes incentive pay for Congress.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/no-easy-answers">Peter Van Doren</a> cautions that there are no easy answers.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/new-essays-cato-online-forum-growthTue, 18 Nov 2014 09:23 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyToday in Cato's Online Forum on Growthhttp://www.cato.org/blog/today-catos-online-forum-growth
<p>The Cato Institute’s special <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">online forum</a> on reviving growth (see <a href="http://www.cato.org/blog/reviving-growth-cato-online-forum">here</a> for more details) continues today with the following four essays:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/doctors-drugs-promoting-growth-equality-through-free-trade">Dean Baker</a> argues for free trade in doctors and drugs – by eliminating immigration restrictions and patent protection.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/conference-paper/high-skill-immigration-visionary-investments">Jim Manzi</a> also calls for more high-skill immigration, as well as visionary investments in scientific research and technology projects.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/conference-paper/apprenticeships-lots-them">Jonathan Rauch</a> proposes a national apprenticeship system.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/radically-simplify-law">Philip K. Howard</a> makes the case for radical simplification of law.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/today-catos-online-forum-growthMon, 17 Nov 2014 09:20 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyReviving Growth: A Cato Online Forumhttp://www.cato.org/blog/reviving-growth-cato-online-forum
<p>In conjunction with the upcoming <a href="http://www.cato.org/events/future-us-economic-growth">conference on the future of U.S. economic growth</a>, the Cato Institute has organized a special online forum to explore possible avenues for pro-growth policy reforms. We have reached out to <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">leading economists and policy experts</a> and challenged them to answer the following question:</p>
<p><em>If you could wave a magic wand and make one or two policy or institutional changes to brighten the U.S. economy’s long-term growth prospects, what would you change and why?</em></p>
<p>Their responses will all be made available <a href="http://www.cato.org/conference-forum/reviving-economic-growth">here</a>. We will post a few new essays each day in the run-up to the conference.</p>
<p>Assembling this impressive roster of contributors was a lot of fun. I strove for real diversity in outlooks – diversity not only in ideological orientation but in specific domains of expertise as well. I did this for a couple reasons. First, the U.S. economy’s <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/why-growth-getting-harder">growth slowdown</a> is a serious and underappreciated problem and I want to spread awareness of the challenges ahead as broadly as possible. My hope is that a diverse set of writers will attract a broad set of readers. Furthermore, the problem of improving long-term U.S. economic performance is incredibly complex: there are no silver bullets, so meaningful progress will take the form of policy reforms on a whole host of different fronts. It makes sense then to look for promising approaches from as many different angles as possible.</p>
<p>No doubt the participants in this forum disagree about a great deal, and you will likely disagree with some of their proposals. The point of this forum, though, is to look past this and search for surprising areas of convergence and agreement. Back in the 1970s, during another protracted period of poor economic performance, the wholesale elimination of damaging price and entry controls came about as a result of an unusual left-right coalition: don’t forget that Ted Kennedy and Ralph Nader were major supporters of airline and trucking deregulation. It is my hope that similar coalitions can emerge to lift us out of our current predicament.</p>
<p>With that said, here are the first four essays:</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/cato-online-forum/sidestep-fcc-fda">Arnold Kling</a> proposes alternatives to the regulatory status quo at the FCC and FDA, respectively: a spectrum arbitration board and prize-grants for medical research.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/conference-paper/two-relatively-painless-ways-boost-growth">Robert Litan</a> calls for more high-skill immigration and higher pay for teachers in exchange for an end to tenure.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/conference-paper/structural-reforms-reduce-debt-restore-growth">Douglas Holtz-Eakin</a> provides an overview of structural reforms needed to reduce government debt levels and restore growth.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/conference-paper/invest-smarter-government">Lee Drutman</a> argues that tripling the budget for congressional staff can lead to improved policymaking.</p>
http://www.cato.org/blog/reviving-growth-cato-online-forumFri, 14 Nov 2014 08:00 ESTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyUnstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate Statehttp://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/unstoppable-emerging-left-right-alliance-dismantle-corporate-state
<p><div class="event-book"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Emerging-Left-Right-Dismantle-Corporate/dp/1568584547/?tag=catoinstitute-20" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/images/unstoppable-cover1.jpg" > </a></div>In <em>Unstoppable</em>, famed political activist Ralph Nader calls for an alliance of principled libertarians, conservatives, and progressives against a corrupt and overreaching Washington establishment. Although long an iconic figure on the political left, Nader here seeks to bridge ideological divisions by identifying opportunities for left-right cooperation. According to Nader, the possibilities for joint action include opposing unnecessary wars and bloated Pentagon spending, protecting endangered civil liberties, and combating corporate welfare and bailouts. Please join us for a lively discussion of this provocative book by a man cited by <em>The Atlantic</em> as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history. Prominent conservative writers Daniel McCarthy and Timothy Carney will offer their comments on the book and assess both the potential and limits of Nader’s envisioned alliance.</p>http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/unstoppable-emerging-left-right-alliance-dismantle-corporate-stateFri, 27 Jun 2014 12:00 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Daniel McCarthy, Tim Carney, Brink LindseyBrink Lindsey moderates the Cato event, Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State, on C-SPAN 2http://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/brink-lindsey-moderates-cato-event-unstoppable-emerging-left-right
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/brink-lindsey-moderates-cato-event-unstoppable-emerging-left-rightThu, 26 Jun 2014 13:41 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyBrink Lindsey discusses the prospect of nonpartisan alliance on CEI's Real Clear Radio Hour with Bill Frezzahttp://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/brink-lindsey-discusses-prospect-nonpartisan-alliance-ceis-real-clear
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/brink-lindsey-discusses-prospect-nonpartisan-alliance-ceis-real-clearSat, 14 Jun 2014 12:10 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyBrink Lindsey and Garett Jones discuss income inequalityhttp://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-audio/brink-lindsey-garett-jones-discuss-income-inequality
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-audio/brink-lindsey-garett-jones-discuss-income-inequalitySun, 01 Jun 2014 13:45 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink Lindsey, Garrett JonesIs Slow Growth the New Normal?http://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-video/slow-growth-new-normal
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-video/slow-growth-new-normalThu, 31 Oct 2013 11:32 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink LindseyIs Slow Growth the New Normal?http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/slow-growth-new-normal
The sluggish recovery from the Great Recession raises a troubling question: is this the new normal? Tyler Cowen launched an ongoing debate of that question with <em>The Great Stagnation</em>, in which he argued that the “low-hanging fruit” of growth has already been picked. In a new Cato paper entitled “<a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/why-growth-getting-harder">Why Growth Is Getting Harder</a>,” Brink Lindsey offers an analysis that differs from Cowen’s but shares his conclusion that slow growth will be hard to avoid in the coming years. Martin Baily, one of the world’s leading experts on productivity, is optimistic about the future of innovation but cautions that other factors can hold growth back. Please join these experts for a stimulating discussion of a vitally important issue.http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/slow-growth-new-normalTue, 29 Oct 2013 12:00 EDTBrink Lindsey (Author at Cato Institute)Brink Lindsey, Tyler Cowen, Martin Baily, Annie Lowrey